Budget season for governments is upon us and we are about to embark on a process that will end in September with final hearings for a budget starting Oct. 1 of this year. Before we begin to look forward, it is just as important to look backwards and evaluate how we did for the budget year…

VENICE — Between efforts to improve the water supply, clean up stormwater runoff and improve wastewater treatments, Sarasota County government and taxpayers have spent almost $1 billion over the past 25 years in improving water quality, county officials said. Almost half of that has gone to improving stormwater flow in the watershed and reducing nutrients…

It’s not just your septic tank, if you have one, that’s going to come under scrutiny in the coming year. A panel of county leaders pointed out the myriad projects and efforts underway to address red tide and blue-green algae at a Friday luncheon hosted by The Argus Foundation, a non-partisan business leadership organization, and the South…